LON & peace keeping

• Clemenceau wanted to cripple Germany financially, and wanted Germany to never be able to recover again
• 1921 Aland Islands dispute between Finland and Sweden about the islands that were part of Finland historically but most of the population belonged to Sweden. They asked the long for help. the league said the land should remain with Finland but no military personnel could be based there. both countries agreed. This was a success for the LON.
• After the Mukden incident, in 1932 the league sent a commission led by Lord Lytton to Manchuria to investigate the situation. He published his report blaming Japan and saying they should withdraw. The league issued a moral condemnation and told Japan to leave Manchuria. Japan ignored and the league could do nothing. Failure for the league however people gave them the benefit of the doubt because the situation was far away from Europe.
• Weaknesses in the LON - Usa refused to join (self-determination) so trade sanctions were ineffective as they could trade with America. Powerful countries were not put off by moral condemnation. The league had no army. The assembly only met once a year - decisions couldn't be made quickly.
• 1919 a meeting was held in Versailles


  France - Clemenceau - most of the fighting was in France - they wanted to cripple Germany so they can't attack Germany

  Britain - David Lloyd George - wanted trade with Germany and keep the British Empire by taking German colonies and reducing her navy. He was worried that treating Germany too harshly could lead to the Germans wanting revenge.

  America - Woodrow Wilson - There was no desire for revenge. Wilson wanted a world free from war (by setting up a League of Nations), the right to self-determination and made the 14 points)
• why did America not join the League of nations

  it didn't follow the 14 points
• how did the LON deal with situations

  • mitigation - getting countries to discuss problems
  • moral condemnation - placing blame on countries
  • money - economic sanctions - members of the league would cease trading with others
  • trade sanctions - cease trade with countries
• the league was based in switzerland
• • The League had no army.
  • Depression led people to follow Dictators
  • League had to be unanimous
  • League was too slow to Act
  • British and French always undermining League by making secret deals (such as Hoare Laval pact)
  • The Great Depression meant countries more worried about own problems
  • America refused to join - trade sanctions wouldn't work
  • The League met only once a year
  • The League was too ambitious to make the world a better place
  • Countries like Germany and the USSR banned from joining
• The big three

  France, Britain and Usa
• after World War 1 Woodrow Wilson set up the League of Nations and made the 14 points to have a world free from War
• 14 points included rules such as freedom of the seas and the LON formation
• Terms of treaty (Trawl)

  • territory - 13% land lost including Saar (high in coal production) and the polish corridor
  • Army - 100000 men, rhineland demiliterised - caused humiliation
  • reparations - £6.6 million in reparations
  • War guilt clause - article 231 - accept blame for staring war - Germans felt it was diktat caused by weak polititions - they believed the could have won the war
  • League of nations - wasn't allowed to join
• LON aims:

  • stop war breaking out
  • encourage disarmament
  • improve working conditions
  • tackle deadly diseases
• Who didnt join the LON

  • Russia wasnt allowed to join (Britain and France were suspicious of communism)
  • USA - adopted isolationism - LON didn't follow the 14 points
  • germany was banned as part of TOV - made them feel isolated
• LON structure

  • an assembly - met once a year
  • council - met more regularly
  • small secretariat - handles paperwork
  • court of International Justice
  • committees - such as International Labour Organisation to carry out humanitarian work
• Manchurian Crisis : 1931

  Mukden incident - Japan had been hit hard by the great depression and Manchuria was rich in coal and iron. In 1931 there was an explosion on the Japanese-owned Manchurian railway. Japan blamed China even though they blew it up themselves. Kwasntung army invaded Manchuria in retaliation.
• Abyssinian crisis 1935


  Causes:

  Abyssinia to restore their pride from when they lost previously. Mussolini wanted to rebuild the Roman Empire.

  Italy previously tried to invade Abyssinia but failed - he wanted to invade again to restore national pride

  There were no trade sanctions for oil, steel, iron or coal (BR and FR wanted to trade for money - selfish) which were exactly what Italy needed to carry out the invasion

  The league issued a moral condemnation but Mussolini continued to invade. Hoare Laval pact was created to stop the invasion in 1935

  Italy soon left the league.
• Was the league destined to fail?

  • League had no army
  • trade sanctions didn't work - can trade with America
  • had to be unanimous
  • Britain and France undermined the League by making secret deals
  • Great Depression - countries were focused on themselves
  • only met once a year
  • countries like Germany and the USSR were banned